Box It

Good Morning and hopping in to say a quick Hello to my readers:) These pretty boxes caught my attention and I thought I'd share these with you'll. In shades of oranges and reds these are perfect on the coffee table, as jewelry storage on the night stand or for creating a little vignette all by themselves. They remind me of our Chanapatna lac wooden boxes..........for those of you who have access to these, go ahead and get some for yourselves (and a note to me : add to India shopping list;)

Have a wonderful day!!!!!!
Images: Via

Monochromatic Winter

Good Morning and welcome back!!!!

We've had some very cold days here in Virginia.Winter is making it's presence felt in every possible way.....snow showers, the cloudy grey days and the sun has been very stingy and conservative in making it's appearance. And the people not complaining, are the kids. With snow showers and schools being closed, sledding is in full swing.

Last weekend everything was wrapped in robes of white snow. As the sun came up, the soft white winter wonderland slowly melt away. I could not resist the urge to pick up my camera and run off all by myself to click some pics, before this magical setting disappeared.I also managed to do a little photo shoot for some original Christmas wishes for my readers. Saving it for the Christmas day;) 

As much as I love color, the beauty in these unpretentious monochromatic winter images is inspiring. 

(My home backs up into this tree save line........it's wonderful to sit in my sun room and just watch this sight )

I do hope you'll enjoyed these clicks. Have a wonderful weekend and  stay warm and healthy:)

Images:Clicked by me. Please do not use without prior written permission.

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright

Got Company??? (Guest Bedroom Reveal)

Hello Lovely Readers !!!! I've had an extended weekend because of the snow we've had here in Virginia. And looks like we'll be having a lot more snow sooner than later............ 

With the holiday season here, we have family and friends visiting us. You know what that means........late night heart-to-heart conversations, loads of catching up or just having a good laugh over an extra hot cuppa. But on the other hand, I also realize that some of my guests may be tired or jet lagged and might want to rest before cashing in on the fun. So I wanted to spruce up the guest bedroom before they started arriving.........

Armed with the wonderful thought, "No matter how you show hospitality, if your doing it out of love, you can't do it wrong"  and keeping a close eye on form and function, I started putting the guest bedroom together. A super comfortable mattress that assures a good nights' sleep and relaxing color tones in shades of teal together with doses of raw sienna set the mood for this room. Kantha and Ikat patterns bring drama to this space. The kantha inspired duvet was an absolute steal from Home Goods. Love the fact that the duvet can be reversed for a new look when bored.

A side table with ample storage space for the guests knick-knacks is a must. Some books on the side table for those who need a good read before bedtime. A night lamp within reach acts as a reading lamp too.

I try to make my family and friends feel comfortable and special by going that extra mile..............tea/coffee in bed and some fresh flowers:)

To add a personal touch to the room, I framed some of my water color paintings.The archway painting that you see here is an original watercolor on paper done by Moi. A photograph of a restored palace in Rajasthan in an Inside Outside Magazine was the inspiration behind this piece of love. Little did I know then, that it would match my color palette for my guest bedroom, 10 years down the line:) A couple of details like this jewelry holder and my Bali inspired container add the finishing touches to the room.  

Here's another view of my guest room. My Anthro-kantha chair with it's compact size is perfect for the corner. You can sit down for a quick read or take your time to put on those socks. Another one of my creations, this time an abstract (acrylic on canvas), hangs above the chair. It fit like a glove into color palette of the room.

The Ikat curtains in a soft teal shade are from Target. Without a second thought, they came home with me.

And finally, I'm signing off for today with a close up shot of these gorgeous carnations. Hope you'll enjoyed the tour of my guest bedroom. Do drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you.

Take care and Have a wonderful day!!!! 

Images:Clicked by me. Please do not use without prior written permission.

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright

A Globally Inspired Christmas

Good morning lovely readers!!!! It snowed yesterday:) Our very first snow this winter.......everything looks so pretty under a blanket of snow. Schools are off so I have my little one at home with me today.  

Christmas spirit is running high...........lists of presents are being made and are being checked off once the perfect present is found, secretly stashing away those presents in the most unassuming of places, and of course decorating the Christmas tree, mantel and planning a menu for the holiday dinner.

When my little guy knows it's going to be Christmas soon, he magically transforms into an absolute angel........putting things in their place, doing his home work without being asked to do so, eating up all his veggies........the list is endless.The reason behind this responsible behavior is not so angelic. He has a motive : to melt my heart with his "I'm a GOOD BOY attitude" and for me to say yes to all the presents on his WANT list. His parents are fully aware of it. It's just that he thinks he's smarter and I let him think so. Cause my life gets a lot easier with him being a GOOD BOY;) 

Now coming to our post for today...........three of my favorite picks for a globally inspired Christmas this season. Some of the decorations are versatile pieces and could be used all year round.

These wonderful ethnic gourd ornaments have been hand carved with folk art flowers and birds and hand-painted in vivid tones by women in rural Peru. Once Christmas is over, place them in a wooden bowl and they would look pretty on the coffee table.
My next pick is from India. How wonderful are these recycled Kantha textile beads. This is a versatile piece and not limited to the holiday season. Once things are wrapped up for Christmas, these would make a fun and eco-chic display in a nursery or kids room.

Looking for an unconventional take on the regular stocking to dress up your fire place or mantel.............these stockings made from vintage Uzbek Suzani are one-of-a-kind and are sure to be a show stopper.

You'll have a wonderful day and do drop me a line on how are you'll gearing up for Christmas.

 Images: Via, Via, Via

Color Explosion

Good Morning Friday !!!!!

Today's post is  a happy and cheerful one..............I love color, so when I chanced upon these kaleidoscopic images, I thought I'd share it with you'll.This home tour is not for the faint-hearted. With color and patterns infused into every corner of this home, it's color explosion alright. The bedroom seems to be my favorite place in this house. There's so much going on but I love how everything looks so pulled together.....Enjoy the tour !!!!!!

See you'll back here at TECD next week for my globally inspired finds for this Christmas, a sneak peak of my guest bedroom as I spruce it up for the holidays and a wonderful store in the featured shop segment ;)
You'll have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!!!!!
Images: Via

Pillow Me (Featured Shop)

Hello and welcome back to another drool worthy post here at TECD. 

This time, I have an irresistible store that prides itself in showcasing handmade products that belong to a tradition and heritage that has taken the design world by storm. Can you imagine my sheer delight to see Kilims, Suzannis and Ikats all under one roof????? Yes, "PILLOW ME" is a store in Eskisehir (Turkey) that retails via Etsy and is a one stop store to get your share of this gorgeousness.

Burak Hepguzel, is the Owner and Designer for the brand "Pillow Me". Pillow me was started as a hobby to feed Burak's love for all things vintage, handmade and bohemian. But once on the job she says, "the joy of being able to sell things having a soul and an identity, is very rewarding." It's a family owned business and it's Burak's 4 member team that keeps things rolling at Pillow Me.

So as to get a better understanding of the product line, I asked Burak to share a little more about the products and the process. Talking about the process Burak says," As for the kilim pillows, we gather handwoven old kilims, most of them are 20 to 70 years old. They are then cut and sewn into pillows depending on the design. When the kilim or suzani comes to us, it excites me. Because of the handmade nature of the product, each Kilim and Suzani is unique. Designs may be similar but not the same. The most exciting thing about Kilims is that they are organic - handwoven from wool and colored with natural dyes (from plants, insects etc.)" 

Going on to explain about the Suzanis and Ikats, Burak says,"Suzanis and Ikats being totally handmade, the process is very long. It takes 3 days for handwoven Ikat fabrics to a couple of weeks for the Suzannis depending on the design".

The art form of Kilims, Suzanis and Ikats  has been kept alive by stores like Pillow Me in their own way, only to be enjoyed by folks like us the world over. Pillow Me ships to most countries. Check out the entire product line of Pillow Me right here. I'd like to thank Burak for her time and prompt response to my queries in putting this post together for you'll. I wish her all the very best with the Pillow Me venture.

You'll take care and visit me back here at TECD for more on decor, food and photography coming your way this holiday season. 

Images: Courtesy Pillow Me 

Hand Woven Treasures - Kilims

Good morning and how are we doing today??? I'm so glad to be back to blogging.........

This week the spotlight is on KILIMS. It's high time I share my obsession of Kilims with you'll. My love for kilims can be seen here in my Indian style living room. I've layered the space with an Indian kilim. It helps define the space, adds instant color, texture and a well traveled feel to any space. It's a versatile  and flexible material to work with. And by that I mean, you could use it as a rug to layer a room, hang it up and you have instant wall art, or just drape it over the couch to add interest to the space. And kilim cushions - you can never have too many of them, can you????? 

Kilims seem to be everywhere ..........

     The Kilim Trend

Join me as I drool and lust over these beautiful hand crafted pieces that are steeped in a millennia of heritage. As expensive as they may be but once you understand how time consuming and labor intensive the entire process is, the cost is something you will over look. Kilims are a great investment from a decor perspective.They have been around for a while now and are here to stay............These flat weave rugs are easy to clean, and are great for high traffic areas. Original vintage kilim rugs are organic in nature - they are hand made and the weavers use natural dyes to color them. Kilim patterns are rectilinear in design.The patterns are exclusive to the weaver's traditions, beliefs and environment. The colors and patterns on kilims help identify the genesis of the particular region producing them.

The history of kilims is fascinating......carpet knotting is thought to have initiated in Central Asia more than 3000 years ago. Migrating tribes of this region, pioneered in making dwellings to protect themselves against bitter weather. They preferred using goat hair to sheep hair as it  produced a flat-weave technique, that yielded virtually waterproof tents. The process was then applied to design floor coverings to sheathe the floor of the dwelling from humidity: thus the first kilims were born.

          Layer It

           Hang It

         Pile It On

 

How about a larger Berber Moroccan Kilim Pillow from the Loaded Trunk.

         Pouf It Up

Use Kilim poufs or floor cushions to create extra seating options......

In addition to the brief history on kilims, I thought I'd also include a quick guide on how to identify a GOOD QUALITY Kilim. After all they are big investment pieces and one ought to know what to look for:

• Focus on the dyes used in a kilim and the color fastness of the material. If the quality of the kilims are good they will not fade in time.To guarantee the color fastness apply a damp white cloth to the kilim, the color should not bleed onto the wet cloth.
• The greater the number of threads, the higher the quality.When pulling the kilim apart to check it's quality, ensure that it does not stretch easily.
• The rug should be woven densely and white warps threads should not be visible.
•The lighter a kilim, the better is it's quality.

Now, don't you'll want a piece of this for yourselves ???? Not to worry, I got you'll covered. Coming up is a wonderful store straight from the heart of Turkey that's going to leave you wanting for more...........You have a wonderful day!!!!

Images:  Boots, Purse, Coasters, Pouf, Kilim Symbols all other images via Etsy, Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest, Apartment Therapy, Tumblr and Tumblr.